her mind, and you meant to go then. Come, now, what is it?”
“I shan’t tell you; but I ‘m not going,” was Polly’s determined
answer.
“Well, I did think you had more sense than most girls; but you
have n’t, and I would n’t give a sixpence for you.”
“That ‘s polite,” said Polly, getting ruffled.
“Well, I hate cowards.”
“I ain’t a coward.”
“Yes, you are. You ‘re afraid of what folks will say; ain’t you,
now?”
Polly knew she was, and held her peace, though she longed to
speak; but how could she?
“Ah, I knew you ‘d back out.” And Tom walked away with an air of
scorn that cut Polly to the heart.
“It ‘s too bad! Just as he was growing kind to me, and I was going
to have a good time, it ‘s all spoilt by Fan’s nonsense. Mrs. Shaw
don’t like it, nor grandma either, I dare say. There ‘ll be a fuss if I
go, and Fan will plague me; so I ‘ll give it up, and let Tom think I
‘m afraid. Oh, dear! I never did see such ridiculous people.”
Polly shut her door hard, and felt ready to cry with vexation, that
her pleasure should be spoilt by such a silly idea; for, of all the
silly freaks of this fast age, that of little people playing at love is
about the silliest. Polly had been taught that it was a very serious
and sacred thing; and, according to her notions, it was far more
improper to flirt with one boy than to coast with a dozen. She had
been much amazed, only the day before, to hear Maud say to her
mother, “Mamma, must I have a beau? The girls all do, and say I
ought to have Fweddy Lovell; but I don’t like him as well as Hawry
Fiske.”
“Oh, yes; I ‘d have a little sweetheart, dear, it ‘s so cunning,”
answered Mrs. Shaw. And Maud announced soon after that she
was engaged to “Fweddy, ’cause Hawry slapped her” when she
proposed the match.
Polly laughed with the rest at the time; but when she thought of it
afterward, and wondered what her own mother would have said, if
little Kitty had put such a question, she did n’t find it cunning or
funny, but ridiculous and unnatural. She felt so now about herself;
and when her first petulance was over, resolved to give up coasting
and everything else, rather than have any nonsense with Tom, who,
thanks to his neglected education, was as ignorant as herself of the
charms of this new amusement for school-children. So Polly tried
to console herself by jumping rope in the back-yard, and playing
tag with Maud in the drying-room, where she likewise gave
lessons in “nas-gim-nics,” as Maud called it, which did that little
person good. Fanny came up sometimes to teach them a new
dancing step, and more than once was betrayed into a game of
romps, for which she was none the worse. But Tom turned a cold
shoulder to Polly, and made it evident, by his cavalier manner that
he really did n’t think her “worth a sixpence.”
Another thing that troubled Polly was her clothes, for, though no
one said anything, she knew they were very plain; and now and
then she wished that her blue and mouse colored merinos were
rather more trimmed, her sashes had bigger bows, and her little
ruffles more lace on them. She sighed for a locket, and, for the
first time in her life, thought seriously of turning up her pretty
curls and putting on a “wad.” She kept these discontents to herself,
however, after she had written to ask her mother if she might have
her best dress altered like Fanny’s, and received this reply: “No,
dear; the dress is proper and becoming as it is, and the old fashion
of simplicity the best for all of us. I don’t want my Polly to be
loved for her clothes, but for herself; so wear the plain frocks
mother took such pleasure in making for you, and let the panniers
go. The least of us have some influence in this big world; and